It’s spring and as usual, the urge to make things feel fresh and new in the house is strong! It mixes though with my fear of change, my budget, my stingy genetics and my love for our collected and heirloom pieces that we already have, so therein lies my conflict.
My bedroom has been in need of a refresh for quite awhile. I had an unfinished pine dresser that was in need of finishing and an old nightstand that had a very dark cherry stain that I’d put on 13 years ago, also in need of a redo. Everything else was feeling a little tired too, so I dove into the garage to see what we already had that I could work with and then OCD shopped the online spring bedding sales for something new and pretty that I thought wouldn’t give me a headache.
Although I have a few quilts and one duvet that have patterns, I’m not usually into bedding with bright colors, and some patterns will actually give me a headache, so I tend to choose solids in whites and light sea glass colors. This year I decided to change things up and step outside my comfort zone and choose something with some bright color.
I’m in love with the new duvet set that I settled on from amazon.com. It was on clearance so my stingy side is happy, and it’s bright and colorful, but it still has lots of white and it’s just so pretty!
My pine dresser got a pickling whitewash stain. I was ready to use the pickling that I had found in the garage, but it mysteriously disappeared when I went to look for it. Amazon.com again came through for me, and the Minwax whitewash pickling stain that I got delivered right to my door, was just the perfect finish. A light spray of polyurethane to protect it and it looks even better than I imagined! It lightened up the dresser, still letting the warm texture of the woodgrain come through, and the glass knobs that were already there are highlighted like they’re new!
And the nightstand got a fresh silver finish. Using left over spray paint from the garage, it now looks brand new. The brass handles were black with tarnish, and though I couldn’t find the vinegar to clean them up, a thick layer soak of ketchup and salt and they’re gorgeous now!
I brought in a new little cabinet that got a whitewash treatment, a few other little pieces got some fresh paint. I also changed out some artwork and brought in some new/old pieces from storage to freshen up the feel. The small rose and daisy painting was painted by mum 40+ years ago. She painted it to match my pink rose, swiss dot bedding and canopy that she made for me when I was a little girl, and its very much beloved.
I would have liked to have moved furniture and really changed things up, but my room is very small and there are windows, doors and closets on every wall, so this really is the best furniture arrangement for now.
Trying something new and giving new life to other pieces, and watching evetything come together on this project has been so much fun and really satisfying . I hope that maybe this might inspire you to try something new in home decor, a new recipe or type of food, or even just a new path for your morning walk. Change is hard sometimes, but it can be so rewarding and refreshing when we do reach out for it. Life is a gift and I hope you won’t wait for the perfect, but always unattainable moment to live it.
Much love,
Marianne
NEW PAIR OF WINGS 